Flash Remoting TechNote

Detecting and deploying Macromedia Flash Player versions

In order for Flash Remoting to work correctly on a client, the most current version of Macromedia Flash Player must be installed in a browser.

After a Macromedia Flash Player major release, minor revisions address specific issues and ensure an application plays correctly in a variety of situations. For example, 6.0 r40 is the most current Macromedia Flash Player 6 version available at the time of this TechNote. Among other fixes, player 6.0 r40 is the first version that supports Flash Remoting within Netscape 6.x browsers.

This TechNote describes how you can use and modify the Macromedia Flash deployment kit files so that your new Flash Remoting applications automatically check a browser's Macromedia Flash Player version and updates it if a newer one is required. It also explains how to modify existing Macromedia Flash deployment files to detect a browser's current Macromedia Flash Player version and update it to the latest release.

Using The Flash Deployment Kit Files

The easiest way to ensure that a browser uses the appropriate version of a Macromedia Flash Player is by downloading the Macromedia Flash deployment kit files and modifying them to work with your application.The deployment kit contains a collection of files that include example pages and dispatcher files.

HTML example pages

Use these files as templates to make automatic detection and deployment work in your application. For example, your application needs an entry page to detect a browser's Macromedia Flash Player and reference other files that help with version detection and deployment. enter.html is an example entry page you can use for your application.

Dispatcher files

These files work with a Macromedia Flash application's entry page to perform automatic detection and deployment. For example, an entry page references Dispatcher.js to gather information about what Macromedia Flash Player version and revision is currently supported by an application.

Modifying Macromedia Flash Deployment Kit Files

Although deployment kit files that reside at macromedia.com will reference the most recent Macromedia Flash Player version, when your existing Macromedia Flash applications require an updated browser version, you'll need to modify an application's Dispatcher.js file and its entry page.

Modifying Dispatcher.js

Modify Dispatcher.js to reflect the latest version of Macromedia Flash Player for both Microsoft Windows and Macintosh environments. If this is the first time your application requires Macromedia Flash Player 6, you'll need to add an additional line of code.

If your application already relies on Macromedia Flash 6 but you want to require r40, modify the MM_latestPluginRevision lines of Dispatcher.js:

If your application has not previously required Macromedia Flash 6, modify Dispatcher.js to require 6.0 v40 by changing the MM_latestPluginRevision lines and by adding a line of code directly above them:

Modifying Entry Pages

Modify an entry page so that it knows the correct version requirements for your application. If your application will be accessed by Microsoft Internet Explorer for Windows, also edit the OBJECT tag's codebase attribute. The codebase attribute accepts a URL. Parameters at the end of the URL describe the required version. When the browser accesses the page, it registers the browser's current version; if it's an earlier version than what's required, the browser downloads a new Macromedia Flash Player using the URL information.

Modify the entry page so that the MM_FlashDispatch call specifies 6.0 and true as the second and third arguments: